Sen. Sherrod Brown bright spot for Ohio Dems

Share Tweet Share Email Comments Print ADVERTISEMENT If there was one bright spot in an otherwise dark night for Ohio Democrats Tuesday, it was the third-term victory of incumbent Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown. The 65-year-old Cleveland senator beat his opponent, Wadsworth Republican Jim Renacci, earning the most votes of any Democrat seeking office in 2018, according to unofficial election results from the Ohio Secretary of State. Proving he can carry a Midwestern state won by President Trump is a strength heading into 2020 as Mr. Brown is rumored to be on the short list of contenders for the Democratic presidential nod, even if he hasn’t publicly indicated a desire to run or taken the steps of a candidate testing the waters. “Based on his results yesterday, I think his name will come up. It should come up,” Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper said on Wednesday, adding, “I don’t think he volunteers his name. He’s very focused on Ohio.” While incumbent Democratic senators in Indiana, Missouri, and North Dakota were unseated in states that voted much more heavily in favor of Mr. Trump than Ohio, Mr. Brown was able to retain his seat here with 53 percent of the vote. “Yesterday was a risky day for senators in the Midwest,” Mr. Pepper said. “We saw senators that — despite polling that suggested they were on their way to potentially winning — lost, and in some cases quite decisively.” Republican Gov.-elect Mike DeWine’s victory coupled with Mr. Brown’s represents the first time since… [Read full story]